Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary: The Last, Best Stop

Pepper was instrumental in helping Leprino through recovery as “the best sober companion anybody could ever have, rock-solid,” she says. So she promised her pet that one day she’d pay his loyalty and service forward in some way. And when he crossed the rainbow bridge in 2017, she started brainstorming plans for a sanctuary for older dogs.

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Mary Leprino with Pepper.

Courtesy Pepper’s

“We wanted a place for senior dogs that was like their last stop — their hospice or retirement — and the only time they’d have to leave was for specialized medical care,” Leprino explains. Along with her son, Justin Klemer, and niece Leigh Sullivan, she started making a business plan for such a sanctuary and looking for land in 2019, at “the worst time in the history of the world,” she recalls.

They scoured land listings, seeking properties that would be both large enough and suitable for a senior dog sanctuary. When they saw a listing for 7000 Roxborough Park Road in Littleton on the MLS, they hurried to check it out, and realized it would be the perfect spot. They closed on the property in August 2019.

With the land in hand, they set out to create a haven for dogs that needed a forever home and were unlikely to find one through typical shelter services. An initial angel donor gave $1.7 million to the cause, and they started constructing the facility.

After a “soft opening” two weeks ago, the sanctuary finally began accepting permanent residents; there will be a grand opening on July 8. There are currently three senior dogs at Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary, which plans to (slowly) accept up to fifty from partnering shelters in the metro area. New residents will have to be quarantined for a couple of weeks before they can move in with the rest of the shelter population.

Dogs are housed in bedrooms, not kennels, and there are parks and play areas catering to dogs with different levels of fitness and mobility, as well as sensory gardens for blind and deaf animals, with live plants and wind chimes. The facility includes a full-service on-site vet clinic that can provide basic care and even minor surgery for residents of Pepper’s; the only time dogs will have to leave is for specialized care, such as oncology or ophthalmology. The sanctuary’s staff includes a medical director and two veterinarians, one full-time and one part-time.

To help supplement the sanctuary budget, Leprino says that the vet clinic at Pepper’s will offer wellness visits for spaying or neutering dogs, dental appointments, checkups and other basic care, though she notes that the clinic won’t see sick dogs from outside the sanctuary in order to protect the health of the resident dog population. But the water therapy treadmill will be open for public use.

“It’s a publicly funded charity,” Leprino explains. “I want it to be generational, and I want it to grow, so I can only donate 2 percent of the annual operating budget.”

Pepper’s can take donations through Venmo or online to help with shelter operations. Leprino notes that the sanctuary is always looking for more shelter volunteers — old dogs need cuddles and love, too! — and has an Amazon wish list, too. It’s partnering with Firely Autism to offer therapy visits, and also hosting bingo and movie nights when residents of senior citizen homes can play games or watch movies in the presence of Pepper’s dogs.

Pepper’s won’t be accepting owner-surrendered dogs, but rather will partner with certain shelters to help ease the burden of caring for senior dogs or dogs with serious medical issues. Last year, staffers at animal shelters reported seeing more animals come in with specialized needs, a trend that they said was exacerbated by inflation rates and a lack of pet-friendly housing.

“Every time we take a senior dog out of a shelter, they can take in two more dogs that are easily adoptable,” Leprino explains. “Seniors are expensive medically, and they require a lot more time.”

After a dog arrives at Pepper’s, it has a home for life. “No dog suffers,” Leprino notes. “We are compassionate, we never euthanize for space, and we take wonderful care of the dogs until it’s their time to pass.”

Pepper’s Senior Dog Sanctuary will hold a grand-opening celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, at 7000 Roxborough Park Road, Littleton. Go to psds.org for more information, and emailing [email protected] by July 3 if you’re planning to attend.